by Willow AurealaDid you know that research shows that people who wear uniforms to work tend to have better health and longer lifespans? Also, clothes provide an even greater age-related cue for middle and upper classes. Wealthier people who do NOT wear uniforms tend to have poorer health than those who do wear uniforms, and this effect is greater as income increases. Similar results have been found with balding men: since balding is a cue for old age, those who go bald earlier in life tend to have a greater risk of prostate cancer and coronary heart disease compared to men who do not get bald early in life.And, for women who have children later in life, they tend to live longer than those who have children earlier in life because they are surrounded by more ʻyouthʻ cues in their ʻolderʻ years, even though one might suspect that stress and other negative factors might impact these older moms more, they donʻt.Also, in marriages where the spousal age difference is four or more years, the younger spouse is surrounded by more ʻagingʻ cues and tend to have shorter life spans. The older spouse is surrounded by more ʻyouthʻ cues and tend to have longer life spans.Thus, certain contexts and cues prime people to age more rapidly or stay youthful longer, including clothes!Reference:Langer, Ellen 2009. Counterclockwise: Mindful health and the power of possibility.